Gearing.



cuantas n. EDGRTON, vor rAfroN, iowa.

GEARIN G.

Specification of Letters Patenti Y eatentearune e, 190s.

Application andA :my 1a, 1907. serial nu. 383,612.

` To all whom it may concer-n:

, f Be it known that I, CHARLES H. Encua- TON, a citizen of the 4United States,'residing at Paton, in the county of Greene and State 5 of Iowa, have invented a certain newand useful Gearing, of. which the following is a speciiication.v y f The object of my invention is to provide a gearing device for washing machines of the class having agitators to which alternating rotary motibn is applied, which gearing device is of simple, durable and inexpensive.

construction, and which with a minimum of noise and friction, and

which. is providedwith a balance Wheel located between the Washing machine body and arranged to be .driven at a comparatively high rate of speed to'aid in continuing the movement of the agitator after the opera- ,por ceases to impart motion tothe operating ever.

My invention consists in theconstruction,

. arrangement and combination of the various parts ci the gearing device, whereby the objects contem lated are attained, as hereinafter more ful vset forth, pointed out. in my may 'be operated claims, and illustrated in the accompanying Figurei shows an enlarged-detail sectional i of the ha view through a crtion of the to washin machine liody illustrating tiie mechF anism or imparting an alternating rotary motion to the agitator shaft by means of a lever to be reciprocated by the operator,

" fanQdjTK-Fig. 2 shows aside elevation of a washing `lmachine provided with a gearing device embodying-my invention, apart of the mainternal construction.

Referrin to theaccompanyin drawins, I have usedr the reference numerall() to in icate the Washing machine body rovided with a hinged cover 11. Mounts in the hinged cover is an agitator shaft 12 having an agitator 13 thereon.

vice just described are 'of the ordinary con-n struction, and form no part 'of my present invention. Mounted upon the top of the cover- 11 is a casing'13a surrounding the u agitator shaft 12, and provi ed with a hori- :rental opening designe to receive aslide bar hereinafter described. Within the casing l have fixed to the agitator shaft 12 two pulleys id -and 15. Fixed te and wound upon chine bodv being broken away to show the The parts of the dell per end of the' the upper pulley 14 is a lleXiblestrap member 16 extended through an openin in one Vside of thel casing 13 a, and xed to an wound lupon the 'other pulley 1 5 is a similar ilexible strap member, extended an opposite direction through the Acasing 13, Slidingly mounted in the opening in the casing, is a slide'bar 17 having two collars 18 mounted thereon, and adj ustably held by means of the set screws 19. Each of these collars is provided with an 'arm 20, Whicharm is designed to enter a loop 21 in the flexible strap. Obviously, when these arts are assembled as shownin Fig. 1, and le slide bar 17 reci rocated, an alternating rotary motion wilA be applied to the. agitator shaft. If either of the ,flexible strap members should become lcos- Y cned, it may be quickly and easily adjusted by means of the'set screws-19, or if it is de sired to disconnect either of the stra mem-v bers from the collars, this may be oneL by sliding the collars toward the agitator shaft, and then removing theloop of tliestrap mem- .ber from the arm on the collar. These flexible strap members may be made of leather or thin steel, or other desirable material.

I provide for im rting a reciprocating motion to the slide iizr as follows: Mounted" upon one side ofthe machine body is a lug 22 ving an o, erating lever 23 fulcrumed to it. Pivoted tot e upper end of the o erating lever isa rod 24 having a downwar ly projectin'g end 25 designed to enter an opening in the adjacentend ofthe slide bar In this way a detachable connection is made between the 90 said rod and the slide bar. so that the rod may Vbe detached from the slide bar'when the Inachine cover is elevated.

i" l provide for operating a'balance wheel by means` of the .o erating ylever as follows: Mounted upon t e bottom of the machine .body is a` bracket 26 to support a sprocket' wheel 27'. Thissprocket w eel is connected by means of a pitman 28 with the lower and of the o crating lever. The balance Wheel proper w `ch is indicated by the numeral 29,

is supported by means of a bracket 30 iixed to t e\ bottom ot the tub, and a small sprocket wheel31 is mounted on the balance This sprocket wheel is con' 10-5.

wheel shaft. nected by means of a s rocket chain 32 with the large sprocket whee 27.

`In practical use,` and assumingthe parts to be assembled as shown, the operator places the articles to he washed, a'nd water within the 110 with t e mechanism described is that the aci machine body, and then imparts are'ciprocat-- ing motion tothe operating lever. before explained, this will impart an alternating rotary motion to the agitators.' At the same time, it willimpart to thev balance wheel a continuous rotary motion at a comparatively high rate of speed, and on account of the agitator shaft and the balance vwheel shaft being connected by the devices set forth, the balance wheel will' continue `to im-. part to the agitator ,shaft a rotary motion after the operator has ceased to apply-powerto the operating lever. If it is desired to open the cover of the machine the -operator graspsthe rod attached to the operatinfr leverand disconnects it from the slide ai",

cover is lowere easily attached to the slide bar. One of the prmci al advantages I attain in connection tion ofthe flexible straps on the pulleys will be practically noiseless, and furthermore there will -be no danger to the operator' on account ofthe gearing device for operating the agitator shaft, such' asis the'case in connection with machines 'of' this class where the agitator shaft is operated by a rack and pinion. Another advantage attained by the use of the mechanism beneath the tub is that the Ilever may be placed on one. side ofthe malever, Ving Jlever with the slide vbar.

" 2,- Ina device of the class describechthe combinationof an agitator shaft, two ilexi- I clainrand desire toseoure by Letters Patent of the United-States, therefor, isl 1"; In adeviceiof the class described, the` combination of an agitator shaft,- two flexi- 'ble strap members lined to-andwound upon the agitator shaft, and extended in opposite directions therefrom, slide bar having said andimeans for connecting the operatbl'effstrap members fixed to and wound upon the'-agitator shaft and extended in opposite. j: directions therefrom; a slide bar having said strap:membersattached toit, an operating whereupon the cover may be raised without affecting theo erating lever, andwhen fthe d the rod may be quickly and.

lever,'andmeans for connecting the operating lever with the slide bar, said means comnected with the slide bar.

3;- In a. device of the class described, the

ixed to the agitator shaft, a flexible strap strap members attached to it, an operating `CO'mbination of an agitator shaft, a'casing to inclose the upper end thereof, two pulleys fixed to and vwoundupon each pulley, said straps'cxtended outwardly through the czising' in opposite directions, a slide. bei' mounted in said casing, two-,collars adjunably mounted on the 'slide bar and having' arms thereon, said straps being dctachably Connected with said arms, an operating lever, and means for connecting the operating lever with the slide bar. l Des Moines, Iowa, June 6, 1907.

CHARLES H. EDGER'ION.

Witnesses W. J. VALKER, L. S. ARL. 

